MmePerdu

I confess to being a rubber-necker, fascinated with this wreck too.

Pegontheroad

This thread never fails to be entertaining. Every time I open up Fodors, there's more.

MmePerdu

Had to post so wouldn't be looking for it and playing catchup. Maybe too late, without the main character where can it go?

suze

Where can it go? Maybe to Italy!


<Btw, the Lounge weirdos are now topping all of zenfoodists threads>

Not true. Not happening.

janisj

NewBe used to be a VERY active Lounge Weirdo . . .

pariswat

What is the Lounge BTW ?

Peter_S_Aus

The Lounge is a discussion area that is not related to travel. Posters there discuss knitting, dog ailments, political stuff, and sometimes the discussions can get quite rowdy.

Fodors have limited the ability to post in the Lounge to people who were members about two years ago, and it is closed to new members. I think the site administrators may have become tired of moderating discussions there, and in the longer term, the Lounge will fade away.

northie

What an hilarious thread - like school kids fighting in the playground- rudeness, name calling , I'll pay you back by not Doing a trip report, my house is bigger than yours, I speak more languages than you, you dissed me twice or was it 3 times and on it goes .

kybourbon

>>>I think the site administrators may have become tired of moderating discussions there, and in the longer term, the Lounge will fade away.<<<

Or open it back up. People tend to forget that all of those types of threads were on the Europe and US boards pre-lounge.

colduphere

The Lounge is in fact a very civil and supportive place until mid to late afternoon (US standard time). Then moist posters start hitting the and it can get a little rowdy. And then the Aussies wake up and hit the just a few minutes later, well yes it can get loud.

carlym

Michael, if I use European ATMs, except for some limited ones associated with my US bank, I get charged a fee, sometimes a flat fee and sometimes a percentage. When I checked into it before ordering some euros here, it came out about the same as the flat fee for ordering. And in the rate, I don't mean that it would be the same as if I took money out in a different day, but that time bank doesn't apply a different exchange rate to the orders vs. using ATMs in Europe. The point is not that it would be the exact same amount down to the penny but that there is a generally cost-equivalent way to get cash if you want some before you go. Sometimes it isn't ideal to be looking for an ATM immediately upon arrival.

My post was polite and simply shared a personal experience that might be helpful to someone. What is the point in being snarky in response to that?

janisj

carlym: >> if I use European ATMs, except for some limited ones associated with my US bank, I get charged a fee, sometimes a flat fee and sometimes a percentage.<<

You will NOT be charged a fee by a bank-owned cash machine . . . any fee is assessed <u>by your own bank</u>. Honest. Plus ATMs in Europe don't do the currency conversion - you ask for € and you get €. Any fees and exchange mark up is done by your bank and which ever system it is in. Getting your cash from machines -- even if your bank is one w/ exorbitant transactions fees is almost <i>always</i> cheaper than buy it at home.

Wekiva

Thanks for the advice.

Good grief...it's a good thing my kids don't frequent this forum. They'd see all the behavior I'm trying to get out of their systems. It would be funny if all the "brave" souls in this thread suddenly were warped into a room together. Most would slink away quietly. It's amazing how "brave" we are behind the keyboard.

Michael

carlym ,

I use a credit union credit card and ATM card because it does not charge for foreign ATM and reimburses me for the 1% conversion fee levied by Visa (the conversion agent). From what I've read this applies to most if not all credit unions. You might want to look into it if you have a local credit union. I use mine exclusively for travel, keeping a minimum in my account until travel time; otherwise I have an account with a commercial bank.

People make all sorts of claims about exchange rates given by U.S. banks. That's why I ask the question. Give me the daily rate for the day when the bank gave you euros, and if the bank rate and the daily rate match, I'll accept the statement that the bank only charged a minimal fee.

carlym

Michael, I have heard that credit unions are the best deal for a lot of these things. I haven't done it because, for me, the benefit for one or two trips a year didn't seem worth it.

I am not claiming that my bank gives the best exchange rate, just that they offered the same rate for buying euros here vs. using my ATM card abroad, so it wasn't a rip-off. I don't recall the dates, but when I looked at my statements after the trips, the amounts in dollars for the pre-bought euros and the ATM withdrawals for the same amount of euros were very close, so it was clear that there wasn't any funny business on the rate.

Tulips

I must say, not having read any of the OP's other posts, that I thought this was a question by someone who has never visited Europe. There's a lot of useful information here. I didn't know you could still get cash at a bank counter in the US. My bank here in Belgium does not offer that service anymore; ATM's only. And paying for products or services worth over 3000 euros in cash is against the law.

NewbE

<And paying for products or services worth over 3000 euros in cash is against the law.>
Only if it's for one product or service. I forget what the limit is in most countries, under 3000 euros I'm sure but still fairly high.

suze

<chatter about posts on the other Boards behind the backs of people who can't access it.>

But zenfoodist could access it, and did.

ElendilPickle

>>As for a daughter, the trip OP has been planning has been for 5: herself, husband, her parents and an 11 year old gourmet son with a passion for cacio e pepe. Never mentioned a daughter.<<

That's right, socaltraveler, but someone linked another thread by the OP in which a 16yo was asking for help planning a birthday trip. People assumed the OP was the 16yo, but I figured the OP was asking on behalf of her daughter.

Lee Ann

pariswat

Seems Zen created he account in 2003 - at age 3, if she is sixteen today, so that would not be a small feat.
Perso, at 3, I was still reading Tolstoi, not connecting to internet.
So she is eligible to access the lounge...
This thread reminds me when I posted once on a forum to get info on Beijing and I wrote it badly (with humor... never do that on a forum espeically for a first post). Got a lot of heat from everybody. Once it starts, it doesn't stop.
Do you use the expression ' to be zen' in english ?